The Centre has announced the setting up of a new government platform for youth development. Named as ‘Mera Yuva Bharat’ or MY Bharat, the platform is aimed at developing leadership skills among youth to make them social innovators and leaders in the communities. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet held here on Wednesday. Youth in the age group of 15 to 29 years can avail the benefits of the platform.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur told reporters after the Cabinet meeting that MY Bharat will be an autonomous body, which will act as an overarching enabling mechanism powered by technology for youth development and youth-led development. It will also provide “equitable access to youth” to realise their aspirations. “The body will be dedicated to the nation on October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel,” Mr. Thakur said.
According to the Centre, the primary objective of MY Bharat is to make it a government platform for youth development. “Under the new arrangement, with access to resources and connection to opportunities, youth would become community change agents and nation builders allowing them to act as the Yuva Setu between the Government and the citizens. It seeks to harness the immense youth energy for nation-building,” a government release said.
The Centre believes that the establishment MY Bharat would lead to improvement in leadership skills through experiential learning by shifting from “isolated physical interaction to programmatic skills”. It also aims to make the youth “active drivers” of development and not merely “passive recipients”. Various modes of communication, including social media, new digital opportunities and emergent technologies, will be used by MY Bharat.
